Painful Memories: Part I: Resurrecting the Items
by Sylvia1
Summary: Two years after the Pharoah's passing, the Millennium Items are calling for their owners. But after so much time has passed, and after many have moved on, will the Item Holders be able to work together to fight this new threat? Featuring Pegasus, Ishizu, Marik, etc.
1. A Cave in Egypt

Somewhere beneath the sands of Egypt, a ray of sunlight beams into a cavern deep underground for the first time in two years. A man looks into the gap and calls out in Arabic before running back to a green jeep where Pegasus Crawford is looking over a map.

"Pegasus!" He cries out, "I think we've found it!"

"I'm coming," Pegasus nearly falls out of the jeep in his rush, and has to hold his hair down to prevent it from revealing the scar where his left eye used to be. He sprints across the desert sand to reach the tiny hole that opens into the collapsed cavern and peeks inside. A grin spreads across his face as he catches the glint of gold. He turns, "I want this entire wall pulled down. How soon can it be done?" Pegasus' Arabic was smooth and practiced. For as many years as he had worked at dig sites in Egypt, it had been easy to pull together a group to help him excavate the site.

"An hour, maybe less."

"The sooner the better. What about the Ishtars?"

"No one has seen them yet, though I don't think they know we've started digging without their approval."

Pegasus smiled. The Millennium Eye was so close to him now, that its pull made him light-headed. He swayed on his feet for a moment, but put a hand out when the man tried to assist him. "Just keep digging. You'll be handsomely rewarded if we're able to recover the items by sundown." It was only a few hours past dawn, but Pegasus knew these things could take time. They didn't want to destroy the items in their haste to obtain them after all. He checked his phone again as he walked away and the digger began calling others over to assist. Ishizu hadn't called him. Not yet at least, but if this took longer than a day, it wouldn't be long before her suspicions were raised. Pegasus was too well recognized not to garner some attention.


	2. Morning Coffee

Ishizu hadn't slept well last night. The last few nights in fact she had trouble. Her mind wanted to wander, and although she was used to bouts of insomnia, this felt very different. She sipped at her coffee, enjoying the heat and the taste of hazelnut. For the third day she had to call in to the museum to take the day off. She said it was due to chronic headaches, which wasn't entirely false, her head was pounding ever since she had awoken. Ishizu had more than enough vacation time saved up as well. In fact, Marik scolded her for not taking care of herself more, but Ishizu liked her job. She enjoyed studying the ancient Egyptian artifacts that were brought to her. Marik never did really appreciate relics of the past, not like she did.

She took another sip of her coffee and frowned at the headlines on her phone. Egypt was falling into more duress. Riots, protests, and the occasional beatings were the norm as of late, and although the museum tried to stay insulated from the political unrest that shook the country every few years, she wondered how long they could keep up the farce. They still relied on visitors, both those from Egypt and those outside of it, to keep funds coming in. The items they kept here always maintained worldwide interest, but if scholars didn't feel safe to visit, then it meant less funding. Since the political troubles of the country had started garnering increased attention, the revenue had dropped substantially. Pretty soon if they couldn't find any excess to cut, it would mean laying off staff. Ishizu was pretty hopeful that she would keep her job, but at the same time she could see the worry in the faces of her colleagues.

When the doorbell rang, she jumped far more than she should have. She glanced at her watch: it was only 8:30. Who in the world would be bothering her on a Friday morning like this? Suspecting the worst, she walked up to the front door and peered through the peephole. Instead of some dangerous rioter though she saw Pegasus standing there in his khaki shorts, wide-brimmed hat, and carrying a briefcase. He was wearing a big smile and even from here she could hear him humming to himself.

Her heart skipped a beat.

She hadn't seen him in years and now here he was standing on her doorstep? He didn't even have any bodyguards with him, not even loyal Croquet. He must be crazy traveling the streets of Egypt on his own, and she quickly unbolted the door.

"Pegasus!" She moved closer to him with her arms out as though to pull him into an embrace, but Pegasus held his hand out to shake instead.

"Ishizu, it's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Years," she shook his hand and then encouraged him to step inside. They sat in her kitchenette and she had to move one of Marik's leather jackets he had left. Her little brother did love to make a mess. She offered him some coffee and refreshed her own cup before settling across from him.

"You know I rarely like to bother you unless it is for something important," Pegasus stated as he stirred his mug. She had given him one of Rishid's soccer mugs, though she didn't know anything about the championship it referred to on the back. She did like the colorful sprays behind the soccer ball and the giant cleated foot that kicked it. It was one of the few cheerful mugs she had, and somehow she thought the colors fit Pegasus beautifully. She had always admired his ability to laugh, even in the most dire situations.

This day though his cheerful attitude verged on giddiness and she was a little on edge because of it. He reminded her of how he acted when he was determined to bring back the God Cards. It frightened her.

She took a long sip of coffee. "What has happened?"

"I've done something that I know you won't like, but it was necessary."

She frowned and her pulse quickened.

He moved aside one of her blue and green placemats and pulled his suitcase onto the table. As soon as her attention was on the case, she knew what was inside. It was like a tidal wave had moved through her and she slammed her mug down onto the table without intending to.

"You didn't!"

Pegasus chuckled at her reaction. "It's incredible how they're still able to move us, isn't it? Wouldn't you say that's odd? I thought that the items would no longer be able to communicate with us after the Pharoah moved on, but apparently that's not the case."

Ishizu got to her feet and put a hand over her mouth. "Why did you dig them up?"

He unlatched the front of the case and opened the lid. Inside were all seven of the Millennium Items: the scales, the ring, the key, the rod, the necklace, the eye, and the puzzle itself. Ishizu found herself backing away from it as though Pegasus had unleashed a swarm of angry snakes into her home.

His smile faltered as Ishizu reached the wall of her kitchen. "Ishizu, surely you've felt it tugging at you as well. I thought if anyone would see what this means, it would be you."

Ishizu closed her eyes a moment and shook her head, finally able to lower her hand. "I do not have that ability, not without the necklace. Any more than you can read minds without the eye."

Pegasus glanced aside at her response like a guilty child.

"Why did you bring them back? Why couldn't you just leave them alone?"

"I had to. The eye, it was calling to me. Begging me."

For generations her family had protected the items and all their secrets. When the Pharoah had moved on, she had hoped that would be the end of it. Not that she had any ill will for the Pharoah, she still held great respect and admiration for the spirit which her family had been sworn to protect for the rest of his existence. Still though she wanted her family to move on. She thought they had finally broken free of their allegiances and promises and could live ordinary lives once more. Unfortunately that didn't seem to be the case.

"Are you certain that it was indeed the Eye that was calling you, and not your own greed?" Her words were harsher than she had intended, but she couldn't help the bitterness that she felt. She saw her mistake in the way Pegasus winced and gave a short nod.

"It's an understandable concern, of course. That's why I waited so long. I wanted to make sure it wasn't an impulse, that it was more than mere whim." He sipped at his coffee before he continued, his gaze distant as he stared out onto her tiny patio behind her house. "Ishizu, what if the Grave Watchers were misled? What if the Pharoah wasn't supposed to move on the way he did?"

"I would like to say that is impossible, but I can't speak for my fathers and his fathers. All I know is the tradition that was handed down to me and my siblings."

"Do you think you could investigate? Surely your family kept records as well."

"Yes, but they would still be underground," she wanted to say: _Where we lived._ That was what it was, after all, but the words wouldn't come. She hadn't been able to refer to that place as her home for many years, and here Pegasus was wanting her to return to it. To dig up the family scrolls (which she had gladly left behind upon their exodus), and pour over the painful past all over again.

Pegasus nodded. "While you do that, I'll need to replace the eye. It needs to tell me something, and the only way it can do that is if I wear it again."

Ishizu reached out and pulled his hand away from his mug. His palm was smooth but the fingertips rough: a painter's hand. "If you put it in again, you won't easily be able to remove it. What if it… controls you again like last time?"

He sighed and gave her a warm smile. "You mean when I went on a wild rampage to bring Cyndia back from the dead and captured souls on a regular basis? I have no intention of doing that again, and if it does, I've given Croquet instructions on what to do. He didn't like them, but sometimes drastic decisions are necessary. Without the Pharoah around, I don't know if anyone would be able to stop me a second time."

She squeezed his hand and sighed. "Why must you always be so extreme!"

He chuckled, "I realize the risks, really I do, but if the Pharoah is truly in danger, isn't it our duty to help him? Remember DOMA? He was the one who ultimately defeated the cult. What if there was another threat just like it? What if the world is in danger and we don't even know it? Those questions have been keeping me up at night."

Her ears perked up at that. Perhaps it had been more than the political unrest and trouble at work that had been disrupting her sleep. Perhaps Pegasus really was on the right track. Shaadi had trusted Pegasus with far more responsibility than he ever gave Ishizu. Maybe he knew something about him that Ishizu didn't.

"Is Marik nearby? I'll need his assistance," he glanced down at the Eye then back up at her.

"Pegasus, I don't know if he'll have the stomach to-"

He shook his head, "If anyone has the stomach, it would be your brother."


	3. An Unimportant Hangover

His head was throbbing, the curtains let in too much light, and it was far too early for his sister to be knocking. Normally Marik knew better than to accept a drinking challenge at his own bar, but the cute guy did have a nice ass and had been checking him out all night. Unfortunately Marik was a bit of a light-weight (something he probably should have considered before becoming a bartender). He couldn't recall how many drinks he'd had, but he did know that the cute guy let him pinch his ass a few times and that Marik might have even copped a feel. It was all lost in a drunken haze now though. Somewhere along the way Rishid must have closed the bar and taken Marik home. He only had to hope he hadn't done anything too embarrassing. It wasn't the first time he'd awoken in his own bed due to Rishid's assistance, but he didn't recall having a hangover this bad before.

He stumbled out of bed, got his leg caught in a sheet, and had to kick it off. He crawled to the door and leaning his head against it. The wood felt cool against his forehead. "What is it?"

"Marik, what happened last night?"

He scrunched up his face and turned around to rest his back against the door. Regardless of his attempts not to sound out of it, Ishizu could always see through his act. "Nothing, I'm fine. Is that what you're waking me up for?"

She jiggled the handle, "You don't normally lock the door!"

He smirked. That was something he and Rishid had talked about doing the last time. Mostly because Ishizu had a bad habit of walking into the room despite how he was dressed when he crawled in bed. Then she would get mad at him for being dressed inappropriately. She always did have a weird definition of privacy. Rishid said it was due to their upbringing, but Marik thought it was because she worried too much. She always became a bitch when she did that. "Sorry about that," he slurred and got on his knees to unlock the door. She opened it quickly with that same worry in her wide eyes.

"You look terrible! Are you drunk?"

Honestly he didn't know, but with his head pounding, he figured not. Ishizu put an arm around him and helped him to his feet and back to the bed. He didn't argue. As much as he chided his big sister, she always found ways to make him feel better. She tucked him into bed, smoothed out the sheets, then started with the questions.

"You and Rishid didn't get in until late last night."

"I know, I got distracted."

"You mean you got to drinking. You promised me you wouldn't do this again!"

Marik shrugged, "I couldn't help it, he was hot!"

She folded her arms and he could see that she was trembling. At first he thought perhaps she was that furious at him, but no, that wasn't it. She was trembling from head to toe, not out of anger, but something else. Something bigger than his hangover was going on, which was probably the entire reason Ishizu was banging on his door to begin with. "What happened?"

She sighed and all the anger left her. "Pegasus is here. He says he needs your help."

Marik pushed himself up onto his elbows, "Pegasus? As in Pegasus Crawford?! Sister, why are you just now telling me this?" He needed pants, that's what he needed. He leaned over the edge of the bed to pick up his jeans from last night and sniffed them to make sure they didn't smell like alcohol or vomit.

"You're not seeing him like this," she whispered. "You're in no condition to be having visitors."

"Nonsense!" He pulled one leg into his jeans and had to put a hand on the wall to steady himself. "I'll get some orange juice, maybe some pain killers, and I'll be just fine."

"No, please." She put a hand on his shoulder. "I can't have him see you like this."

He froze, completely shocked at the look on her face. "You have a thing for him, don't you?"

She shook her head, but the way she bit her lip said differently.

"You do!" He laughed even as he pulled off his nightgown and pulled on one of his orange belly shirts, the one that spelled out in spooky text: I believe in ghosts.

Ishizu put a second hand on his arm and squeezed so tight her fingertips paled. "Please," she hissed, "Don't embarrass me. He needs your help putting the Eye back in and I don't even want to think about you doing it intoxicated like you are."

He had been about to step out the door, but stopped. "The Millennium Eye?"

She squared her jaw and nodded. "He's brought back all of them, Marik. The Eye, the Necklace… even the Rod." She was watching him carefully, looking for that familiar malice, that insatiable greed, that unending cruelty that had lurked within his heart for so long. She hadn't looked at him like that for almost two years, and it hurt just as much as it did before.

If Pegasus had unearthed the Millennium Items, then perhaps it meant that his dear friend hadn't been lost after all. Ishizu might have misread his excitement for greed, but he didn't care. All he could think of was the Thief. "What about the Ring, did he find that too?" Perhaps he was a fool, but he had hoped that Ryou had somehow found a way to retrieve it, or that somehow the Thief had found a way back to his owner once more like he had so many times in the past.

"Yes, he has gathered all of them."

A tiny flicker of hope that Marik had been keeping locked away deep in his heart began to be flamed. He closed his eyes, swallowed with a dry throat, and headed toward the living room. Somehow his headache just didn't seem important anymore.


	4. Returning the Eye

Marik had never met Pegasus Crawford before. In fact the only way he heard anything about the elusive creator of duel monsters and eclectic archaeologist was through Ishizu's cryptic tales. She would often leave large gaps in the stories that made Marik suspect that they used to date. She would never have come right out and said it, just in case Pegasus didn't see it the same way, but Marik knew how to read between the lines. He had seen plenty of pictures of the man, but always in that same pink suit and giving out trophies like some glorified Vanna White. He didn't expect to find him sitting on the couch with legs crossed and sipping on a mug of coffee from Rishid's favorite cup, nor did he expect him to be dressed in a khaki safari getup. The whole image of it all threw him off guard, and he stopped in the entryway to the living room blinking and speechless.

Pegasus smiled, all teeth, in that grin that made paparazzi cameras flash. "Marik! It's a pleasure to finally meet you!" He was on his feet in a moment and shook Marik's hand with both of his. It was as though Pegasus was as happy to meet him as Marik was.

"Hi," Marik finally stammered. "You're shorter than I thought you would be."

He laughed and put a hand to his chest in flattery, "All smoke and mirrors, I assure you. All it takes is a good suit and a few good camera angles to make someone look any way you want them to." Pegasus narrowed an eye, the empty socket carefully covered by a long strand of platinum blond hair. "You look like you've had a long night!"

That was probably the last thing that Marik expected to hear from his lips. He gave a nervous chuckle and felt a flush rise to his cheeks. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Pegasus gave a knowing smile and led him to the kitchen, as though this was his house and not the Ishtars'. "Let me see if I can help you out a bit. Trust me when I say that I've had my fair share of hangovers over the years, and after a while you get very good at coming up with cures. If there are ingredients enough for it, of course. It's pretty much the best concoction of all the vitamins and minerals you'll need."

Marik watched in amazement as Pegasus found his way around Ishizu's kitchen, completely positive that he must have dated his sister at some point in the past to be able to find his way around their home so well. He pulled out the blender, a slew of fruits and vegetables, and had them mixed into a kiwi green soup that he promptly poured into a glass.

"Drink it," he ordered. "You'll thank me for it in a few minutes."

Marik took a sip. It tasted mostly fruity but with an aftertaste of spinach, which somehow wasn't at all bad. "Ishizu told me that you found the items by the way. All of them." He watched the reactions move fluidly across Pegasus' face: mild surprise, a brief glimpse of fear, and settling on concern. He hadn't expected Ishizu to tell him all the details, and he was definitely terrified of something, but was working very hard to hide it. Where his sister was good at telling the future, Marik prided himself on studying people. He was good at reading emotions, at reading motivations, and seeing what people chose to hide behind masks. It was part of the reason he favored taking on a false identity during Battle City. Yugi and his friends took him on without question when he gave a simple ploy of friendship. It was almost too easy in retrospect.

Marik trusted his instincts, and right now they told him that Pegasus knew more than he was letting on. He wished he had gotten more out of Ishizu before running off.

"I didn't just find them, I uncovered them. I doubt Ishizu accidentally had the entrance to that cavern demolished."

"She did it to keep them safe."

He nodded, "Or she did it because that was what her family said to do." Pegasus put his hands up when Marik started to protest, "Either way, I'm not questioning her actions. If I were put in her same position, I would have done the same. However," Pegasus walked over to the kitchenette table and opened the briefcase that sat in the middle. Marik felt his chest clench. "Perhaps if you saw them yourself, you would understand where I'm coming from."

As soon as Pegasus opened the briefcase, Marik knew exactly what he meant. All of the items were facing him, but the Rod was staring directly at him, as though it saw his mind inside of his human shell and wanted desperately for him to take it up again. He tightened his grip on the smoothie Pegasus had made for him, and grabbed hold of the kitchen counter to steady himself. It took an enormous force of will for him to look away from them all, sitting there in a simple briefcase where they had once stood on velvet trimmed pedestals.

"Close it, please," he whispered. It felt difficult to breathe suddenly, and only once the latch was on the briefcase again did he find the air clear. "What the hell is wrong with them?"

Pegasus shook his head, "I don't know, but to be honest I'm glad you feel it too. Ishizu didn't seem to even notice."

Maybe the two hadn't dated after all, Marik decided, because Pegasus was terrible at reading Ishizu. Either that or his poor perception skills were precisely why they broke up. He would have to bring it up to Ishizu later when she was more in the mood to talk. Marik took a long drink from the smoothie before he said, "Ishizu told me that you needed my help. What do you need me to do?"

Pegasus shifted his weight to another leg and clutched the back of a chair. "I need you to help me put the Eye back in."

Marik laughed and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. "Are you sure you came to the right place? I mean, I think it's important for me to mention that I have a terrible hangover right now. And I might be a little drunk."

Pegasus sighed and shook his head. Surely he knew what it was like to go overboard with the drinks occasionally. Wasn't he the one the Thief said had a 'wine madness'? It was annoying the way he acted all high and mighty, as though he'd never been in Marik's shoes. Marik braced himself for a lecture, perhaps not quite the flavor Ishizu favored, but of the same breed. Instead Pegasus stepped forward and clutched at his elbows in a fearful stance that looked utterly foreign on him.

"To be honest with you, it might help if you are a little drunk. I'm afraid it will be very bloody, and I don't think your sister or Rishid is prepared for that level." Pegasus' brown eye bore into him and Marik felt a shiver curl up the back of his neck. Never before had the insatiable cruelty and malevolence of his past been spoken of in such a favorable way, and certainly not to his face. Never to his face. Ishizu and Rishid would barely even talk about that time in his life, let alone refer to it in a good way. He was both afraid and proud that Pegasus thought he would have the stomach for such a gruesome task.

In fact, the thought that it would be so gory only made Marik more interested. "When do you want to do this?"

"As soon as possible. Now, even, if you think you're up for it."

Marik put up a finger and downed the rest of his smoothie. It gave him brain freeze, but Marik was too excited to care. He hadn't had someone come to him for help with anything, not since he lost the Rod and his mind slaves. Pegasus smiled and retrieved his briefcase.

"Do you know where we can do this?"

He shrugged, "In the basement maybe. Do I need to put down newspapers?"

Pegasus broke into such a laugh that he had to lean against the table to support himself.


	5. A Bloody Request

Marik had suggested the basement for a number of reasons. First, there were no windows down there. If this procedure was as messy as Pegasus made it out to be, he certainly didn't want folks walking by outside to see anything. Secondly, if there was a mess, the concrete floor would make for easy cleanup. It was an unfinished basement, which meant that there were frames for walls, but no plaster had been put up. Of course they would have to be careful of scorpions, but where in Egypt could you go without that threat? Finally, he thought they might get it done without Ishizu intervening. Pegasus had made it absolutely clear that he didn't want Marik's sister to be involved in this procedure. Marik thought it was because he didn't want her to see him weak and bloodied. Marik couldn't blame him though; he didn't really want his sister to see it either.

Rishid on the other hand seemed perfectly capable of the job, and Marik told him so. Ever Marik's assistant and best friend, Rishid had offered his assistance at Marik's request. Unknown to Pegasus, Rishid had in fact done quite a bit of dirty work with the Rare Hunters. Not all of it, of course, Marik had killed several people along the way, but Rishid was the muscle, the intimidation. It was always easier if you could terrify your disciple into behaving appropriately. Resorting to murder had a whole slew of other problems.

The three of them went downstairs with Rishid leading the way. There was a single bulb over the stairwell, but the rest of the basement was pitch black, so Rishid and Marik both carried a pair of oil lanterns. The smell of earth and the darkness always reminded Marik of living underground all those years ago. It put him on edge. They walked to the farthest end of the basement and set up the the lanterns all around them. Pegasus was clutching the briefcase so tightly that Marik was concerned that he wouldn't want to let go of it once they began.

Pegasus' entire demeanor had changed once they went downstairs. He fidgeted, he couldn't stand still, and Marik could guess at the long list of doubts and regrets that were going through his head. After a few minutes, while Marik and Rishid finished setting things up, he began to ask a few.

"Do you think this is the right choice?" He asked as he handed Marik the briefcase carrying the precious items.

"If the Eye is asking you to take it up again, then I don't think you have a choice." To Marik it truly was that simple. The Ishtars obeyed the items. Ishizu thought that their family ought to serve the Pharoah of course rather than the items themselves. As she always said, _How are we supposed to obey objects?_ Well it seemed pretty clear now. She thought their duties were finished and had promptly wiped her hands clean of everything. It was a bold move to demolish the entrance to the resting place of the Millennium Items, but Marik had agreed that it seemed wisest to deter grave robbers. Now though, her action seemed hasty and fearful. He wondered if she felt the tug of the Necklace even as she ordered the destruction. She was a true item holder after all, where Marik was just a Watcher. He wasn't born to carry the item as she was, and he certainly wasn't chosen by Shaadi like she had been.

Their family duties were obviously still needed. He wondered if every item holder would have second thoughts like Pegasus, though to be fair, his was a harder burden to take up than others. No other item holder had to lose an eye. His next convert would need to be Ishizu. They needed to see where this was leading, regardless of his sister's resistance.

Pegasus nodded in silence and watched as they lit the remaining lanterns. Marik could feel his gaze on his back as he opened up the briefcase and reached inside. The Items pulled at him, but the Rod was what made him break out in a sweat. Without even realizing it, his hand wavered away from the Eye and moved toward the Rod instead. His heart was pounding in his throat and it took everything he had to keep from snatching it up. The Rod didn't belong to him. He was not the High Priest. That power was not his to wield. He had made a fist with his hands and even though he was less than an inch away from the Rod, Marik found the strength to reach for the Eye instead. The metal was cold against his fingertips and he had to concentrate on the grooves within the Sennen Eye to keep his mind away from the Rod. To keep the Rod's endless pull at bay.

With a gasp he shut the briefcase with the Eye still clutched in his hand. He sat down for a minute, breathing heavily and leaning against one of the wooden beams.

"Master Marik, are you alright?"

When had Rishid shown up at his side? He felt a warm hand against his forehead and another rubbing at his back. He must have looked like a complete fool sitting here on the ground, getting exhausted simply from pulling a Millennium Eye out of some luggage. "I'm fine," he muttered, then raised the Eye to show him and gave a small smile.

Rishid relaxed a little and nodded. He was one of the few people that truly understood the power that the Items had, their pull, and just how much Marik had at one time been at their mercy. He offered a hand and helped Marik to his feet. Pegasus stood in the center of the room, entranced and frozen. He stared at the Eye in Marik's grip with a mixture of horror and adoration that Marik only knew too well. Marik glanced over to Rishid and whispered, "Hold his shoulders. He might try to flee."

He saw Rishid stiffen, but he nodded in agreement. Only once he was behind Pegasus and had placed his large hands on either of his shoulders did Marik move forward. He turned the Eye around so that the Sennen Eye was nestled in his palm, and held it up to Pegasus' face. That was what broke Pegasus free from the Eye's spell.

"No! No, wait!" Pegasus tried to back away but Rishid held him firm. He put his arms up and took hold of Marik's wrists. His hands were clammy and trembling.

"Pegasus," Marik said with utter calm in his voice. "Pegasus, you know this is necessary. You know that there is no other way to do this. You yourself said so."

Pegasus' grip loosened as he nodded, "Yes, but surely there's another way. Surely this isn't the only option!"

Marik glanced up to Rishid who tightened his grip. "Let go and let me do this. You know there is no other way."

Slowly Pegasus dropped his hands to his sides and closed his eye. "Alright," he whispered. "You're right. I wish you weren't, but you are." Then his voice trembled as though he was on the verge of tears. "Just make it quick please."

Marik nodded and moved forward as Rishid moved in close behind Pegasus to keep him from falling backwards. Marik pushed the long silvery hair out of Pegasus' face, revealing the ugly eye socket underneath. The thief had done quite a number on the man's face, and several of the jagged cuts on the edges showed just how sloppy and eager he had been when removing the Sennen Eye. For a moment Marik paused, disgusted with both the Thief and the hideous scar before him. Then he remembered that the Thief was dead and that there would be no way to chastise him for this defacement of beauty. It was both sad and frustrating at the same time.

Marik held the smooth side of the Eye up to the empty eye socket and Pegasus flinched. Then he began breathing heavily. Marik wasn't sure if he was supposed to shove it in or not. Would he potentially break something by just shoving it in?

Pegasus' good eye shot open. "Damn it, would you just get it over with already!"

Marik blinked, then shoved the Eye in as hard as he could. At first there was resistance. The Eye was too big to fit into the eye socket and for a moment Marik was worried that it wouldn't work, that somehow Pegasus' bone structure had changed, but then the Eye started to go in regardless. The bone of Pegasus' eye socket was pushed out of the way, and Marik was certain it wasn't just due to his own strength. He didn't have that much arm strength after all. No, the Eye was forcing its way in regardless of whether or not Pegasus' skull could handle it. There was a sick, wet sound and blood started oozing out on all sides. Marik kept pushing despite the fact that blood was pouring onto his hands and down to his elbows. Only when the Eye was fully in did he finally step back.

During the whole ordeal Pegasus had remained silent, an incredible feat considering how painful it must have been. Then the Eye flashed a brilliant yellow white light and that was when the man started screaming. He put two hands on either side of his head and screamed as though someone was drilling a hole into his skull. Rishid backed away more out of shock than out of need, but then moved forward as though to resume his stance.

"Don't!" Marik cried and Rishid caught his gaze on the other side of the room. He looked just as horrified as Marik felt. Pegasus was on the ground now, his screams reduced to silent horrors as he crouched down in a vertical fetal position. Blood poured from his eye socket and pooled underneath him. What was the Eye doing to him to cause him to bleed so much? You would think that since he had the eye socket emptied already, that it wouldn't be quite so bloody. Rishid moved along the wall and came over to stand beside Marik, placing himself slightly between the two of them, as though he thought he could protect Marik should something go wrong.

Minutes passed. Marik and Rishid took a few steps back to give Pegasus room. Neither of them knew what was going on. Pegasus shouldn't have been getting tested again since he had already passed it once, but perhaps the magic that made the Items powerful to begin with had somehow been changed. Now that the Pharoah had passed on, the Items might work on a completely different set of rules than what the Ishtar family was used to, and to be honest, Marik found that terribly frightening.

It was a full half hour before Pegasus came to his senses again. It wasn't that he had been unconscious before, but the Eye had clearly been communicating with him. He gave a subtle groan, and that was when Marik walked up to him.

"Pegasus?" He whispered.

Rishid put a hand out as though urging him not to get too close, but Marik ignored him. This was his duty, he reminded himself, what his family was responsible for, and as the head of their family, this was his decision to make.

Pegasus looked up at him, pale and wide-eyed. The Millennium Eye was covered in blood as was most of the man's clothes. For a moment, he looked around as though he didn't know where he was.

"It's alright," Marik smiled and crouched down beside him. "You're in our home. We had to replace the Millennium Eye. You're safe here with us, and we have no intention of harming you."

"Marik…" he whispered and allowed Marik and Rishid to help him to his feet. They walked him over to the stairwell and sat him down.

"What happened?"Marik asked after getting Rishid to go up and fetch a glass of water for him. "I knew you said it would be messy, but that didn't look right. You already had the space for it I thought."

Pegasus nodded, "Things are worse than we thought. The Pharoah hasn't moved on like we imagined, and worse yet, he and the Items are being used to power something else."

"What do you mean?"

"The Pharoah should have never left the Puzzle. We should have never given up the Items to begin with. I had to fight it just to take the Eye back." He held a hand up to the golden Eye now embedded in his skull. "My God… we've all been duped."


	6. Gathering the Reincarnations

The day had gotten past him. Already the afternoon sunlight was streaming into the living room as Marik sat on one of the leather sofa and told Ishizu what was expected of them. He had assumed that she wouldn't take it well, but watching her pace back and forth across the room made him realize that he had underestimated how badly she'd take the news.

"He wants me to get in touch with Ryou again," Marik said, frowning at the mix of emotions that came over Ishizu's face. She had never liked the relationship that he and the Thief had years ago, and the idea of him talking again even with passive Ryou put her on edge.

"Ryou Bakura? You can't expect me to agree with this, can you?"

Marik sighed, "No, but really, sister, what choice do we have? He said that Yugi hasn't seen him in years. There's no telling where he's hiding now. After everything that happened with the Items, you can't blame him for wanting to get away from everyone."

"And Pegasus did say that _every_ Item Holder needed to take up their Items again? Did he even explain why?"

He shook his head. He hadn't told Ishizu that Rishid had driven Pegasus to the airport, or the fact that Pegasus had indeed told him more. If Ishizu wanted to know all those things, she would have to take up the Necklace again. Her curiosity would in the end get the better of her, he hoped. It would be easier to ask for forgiveness once she did know the full story. By then she would see the reasoning behind his actions, and she might even thank him for holding back. Living with a sister that could see into the future and the past was very difficult at times.

"I can't believe he didn't stay behind to explain this to me himself! I ought to call him."

"He's on a plane for Japan right now, off to talk with Yugi and Kaiba. He said it was urgent to get the Items to them before we ran out of time. I suppose he thought you would be alright getting the information from me instead of him, but I guess he thought you trusted your brother a bit more than you do."

That softened her a bit. "I'm sorry. It's just that I wanted to know what this was all about, and you'll forgive me for being a little suspicious with all this talk of Bakura again."

Marik walked over to her and took her hands. "Look, I'm the only person around that he might talk to. He was hurt after the Thief left him, I know that much. I don't even know if he'll want to meet with me, but I'll have to try."

She nodded, "You shouldn't tell him about the Ring. Just tell him that you want to talk with him. If you mention the Ring, he might bolt again and even you might not be able to find him next time."

Marik smiled. As much as his sister tried to put up airs otherwise, she could be just as manipulative and create plans just as intricate as he could. As much as he hated the man, he guessed his father was partly the reason for that. "I will. But you have to promise me that you'll take up the Necklace. We need your insight now more than ever."

She sighed and closed her eyes a moment, squeezing Marik's hands in hers. "Or you could just tell me what Pegasus told you and stop keeping me in suspense." She opened her blue eyes and stared deep into him. His mouth went dry and his pulse quickened, but he had been exposed to her ground-shaking gaze before and had prepared himself for it. He had seen several grown men falter before it, and even when his mind slaves had encountered it, he had felt the force within the Rod itself as his control had been shaken. He wasn't sure how she did it, but he guessed that Ishizu did have some underlying psychic ability. It was the only thing that could account for it. She had a presence about her that could command respect.

"No," he whispered, keeping his ground and not turning away from her gaze. "If you want to know, you'll need to take up the Necklace. I just hope you do it soon."

A slight wrinkle formed between her eyebrows, a tiny crack in her perfect defense. "Why is that?"

"He mentioned something about our old home underground. He thought we might find something there, but I don't know what and neither did he. We were hoping the Necklace could tell you. While I'm looking for Ryou, he thought you and Rishid could go down and poke around."

He had tried to deliver it lightly, but the way Ishizu put a hand to her throat told him it was just as terrifying for her. None of them wanted to go back down there again after finally getting away from the place years ago. Her shell of command was shattered and she collapsed into the plush armchair. "He thinks there is a clue down there about what's happening, doesn't he?"

Marik didn't answer. At this point he couldn't give any kind of hint about what he thought. It was too dangerous, and if he did let something slip she might use it was an excuse not to take up the Necklace. She was after all just as tricky as he was.

She sighed and looked at him with anger, "Alright, Marik, I'll take it up. But you must tell me what he thought we would find. Did our father do something to the Items? Did we leave something down there?"

He wanted to smirk but knew it would send her into a rage. Already she had run down a thousand possibilities in her mind, and it was probably torture for her not to snatch up the Necklace in the other room just to get answers to her many questions. It was so tempting to tell her what he knew, but that wasn't how this game worked. "Do you promise me you will take up the Necklace then?"

She took a deep breath and sat up a little straighter. "You want a promise out of me?"

He nodded, "It is my duty to make sure each of the Items is taken up again, and unlike some, I am not one who shirks my duties."

Ishizu narrowed her eyes and set her jaw. "Fine, Marik! A promise you have. I will take up the Necklace. Now tell me what Pegasus told you."

It was his turn now to start pacing. "He believes that the Pharoah was never supposed to move on to the other side. More importantly, he thinks that entire idea was planted into the lore of the Grave Watchers to get our assistance in trapping the spirits within the items. They're not dead, but they're being used to power something. He's hoping when you go back down there that you'll find whatever it is, and we'll have a clue when this happened."

Ishizu's eyes were wide as she stared at the floor. "You're saying we have inadvertently been his enemies instead of his allies. Someone has maliciously turned us against our duties. Surely someone would have noticed such a drastic change in traditions though!"

Marik shrugged, "I don't know. If I had been an only child and considering how much hatred I had for the Pharoah, I probably wouldn't have had a problem screwing him over a few years back."

"Don't say that. You never hated him that badly."

Marik didn't respond to that. Somehow even after all the atrocious things he did, Ishizu still believed that he wasn't at fault. Not even partially. It was painful to watch and always welled up guilt for the many terrible things he did. He walked toward the front door and heard the sweeping skirt behind him as Ishizu followed. "I'm going to hunt down Ryou. You need to take up the Necklace and investigate our old home." He pulled his motorcycle helmet out of the closet, "Do you think you can?"

She nodded and smiled despite the tears in her eyes. She held out her arms to him and he hugged her tightly. He really did love his sister even if they didn't always see eye to eye. They understood each other in ways that others simply couldn't. She stepped back and pushed a strand of hair out of his face.

"Be careful, please. I know you and Ryou were friends at one time, but I don't trust him completely. I saw darkness in his future when I last held the Necklace. I wasn't sure if that was from the Thief or from Ryou himself."

"Not everything the Necklace sees is truth, sister."

"Just promise me you'll be careful."

He smiled, "I will, I will. And don't forget your promise. If I call Rishid this evening and you still haven't picked up the Necklace, I'll know who to yell at."

She smiled as he put his helmet on. "I will. Don't worry."

Marik's voice was muffled by the helmet as he added, "If you need me, call me. I don't know where Ryou will be, but I'll be on a flight back as soon as you need me."

They hugged once more before Marik headed out. Ishizu listened to the roar of his motorcycle as he sped down the street. She glanced to the Necklace left on the dining room table and knitted her fingers together to keep from touching it.

#####

To be continued in Painful Memories: Part 2: Awakening


End file.
